Even during the summer construction holiday, work is continuing on the Matrix Innovation Center on the VU Campus in the Kenniskwartier neighbourhood (Zuidas Innovation District). The building will bring together health-tech and biotech companies and scientists. Its ambitious sustainability targets and rather unusual ‘neighbour’ mean that this is anything but a straightforward construction project – but more on that later. Nevertheless, project manager Ramon van Schaick (VKZ) is pleased with the progress: ‘We’re right on schedule.’
Matrix Innovation Centers
The building is being constructed on the VU Campus and will be developed and operated by Matrix Innovation Centers NV, a company established as a partnership between VU Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam and Rabobank. Its aim is to drive innovation by connecting businesses with the scientific community, enabling scientific knowledge to be brought to market more quickly. This will be the eighth Matrix Innovation Center – there are already seven at Amsterdam Science Park in Watergraafsmeer.
Building with minimal vibration
The Matrix Innovation Center, whose design won the Zuidas Sustainability Award in 2025, will stand next to the VU Research Building. This is a vibration-free building where scientists conduct medical research using extremely sensitive microscopes. This meant that the groundworks for the Matrix Innovation Center on the neighbouring plot – including the sheet piling, bored piles and basement – had to be carried out with great care. According to Van Schaick, they came up with a solution: ‘Using software, we linked live camera footage from the construction site to vibration meters. This allows us to see exactly which activities cause the limits to be exceeded, so that we can adjust the work accordingly.’
Timber structure
Producing concrete generates CO2, while timber actually stores CO2. All of this counts towards achieving a BREEAM Excellent certification for sustainable construction projects. ‘That’s why we’re using a timber structure wherever possible around the building’s concrete core’, says Van Schaick. ‘But sometimes we simply have to use concrete. One example is the ventilation ducts, where the limited space means there isn’t enough room for the amount of timber needed to provide sufficient load-bearing capacity.’ Since the first pile was driven in September 2025, a basement with an indoor bicycle parking facility has been constructed in just a few months. This is also made of concrete. Van Schaick: ‘But even that is partly made using concrete containing recycled aggregate.’
DNA
The building will, of course, derive much of its identity from what happens inside it. In the Demonstrator Lab, start-ups will experiment with the ‘healthcare of tomorrow’, clearly visible to people passing by outside. Van Schaick: ‘But the nature of the work is also reflected in the building itself. For example, some of the concrete walls feature an artistic relief inspired by organic cells, created using an innovative technique, as a reference to biological growth.’
Schedule
The building is expected to reach its highest point by the end of January 2027, with completion of the Matrix Innovation Center scheduled for the end of that year. Van Schaick: ‘The cooperation between the contractor, the consultants and the client is excellent. That may not be exceptional, but it is incredibly important.’
Kenniskwartier
Together with VU Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC (VUmc location), we are transforming the Kenniskwartier Innovation District in Zuidas over the coming years into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood where high-quality education and world-class research come together with homes (around 2,700 in total) healthcare, culture, sport, shops, cafés and restaurants. With the Matrix Innovation Center, the VU Campus is once again expanding across De Boelelaan, following in the footsteps of the O|2 Lab Building and the VU Research Building. Building by building, VU Amsterdam is becoming increasingly integrated into the city.
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